“When gorse is out of blossom, kissing is out of fashion” goes the popular saying. Gorse, the popular flower is hardly seen without an accompanying blossom in any season of the year. Its flowers are edible, belonging to the pea family ‘Fabaceae’ and the sub family Faboideae, and can be used as garnishing in salads, as flavoring in tea and in wine that is not made from grapes. The flowers emit a distinct coconut fragrance, in fact, all the gorse species bear yellow flowers, some of which have very long flowering season.

The most common species of gorse are the common gorse (U.europaeus) that blooms in spring and the other is known as Western gorse (U.gallii) which flowers in autumn. The common gorse is found primarily in regions of Western Europe. Here, it is found to grow on sandy and dry soil and it requires a hot sunny climate. The western gorse, on the other hand, is found to grow primarily high on the mountains and grows abundantly on the heathland of the Atlantic coast.

The plant resembles a broom by having green stems and very long leaves which makes it quite valuable because it provides protection to wildlife. Its thick foliage also gives a safe home for bird nests. Gorse is also known as a fire climax plant because its stem and bark are dangerously flammable. However, the plant grows back quickly after catching fire. Once it has been cut, its spines used to be crushed and used as fodder and as fuel in ancient times.